Shelf Notes

What happens when other librarians post a great deal on totes that would be perfect for book boxes? Of course we have to investigate the deal . . . get some for ourselves . . . and talk about the different ways we are using them to corral and curate more resources for our patrons. Plus, we discuss what we do with old curriculum we have in our libraries

Join us by listening in your favorite podcast app or at this link.

"In January 2023, I sold a complete 33-book hardbound set of The Happy Hollisters which our kids had outgrown. I was happy to find a mom who wanted them for her own children and for her lending library patrons to enjoy. But my heart was broken. I realized I wasn’t just mourning the end of a phase in the lives of our children — I was also mourning the end of a dream. I had always secretly dreamed of having a lending library of my own, and selling our Happy Hollisters seemed to herald the death of that dream."

Read about how Emy Damian of Triangle Area, NC, reclaimed her dream and started her own unique private living books library, offering curated treasure boxes of books at a monthly "Box Swap" for her library patrons. And if you haven't already done so, for more inspiration, read about how other private lending librarians do libraries in our Librarian Notices section at The Card Catalog.

In the Small Publishers corner of the newsletter each month, we hope to draw your attention to something lovely from one of our beloved small publishers. We are so grateful for the good work these publishers do to revive otherwise lost good, true, and beautiful books!

This month we want to draw your attention to the America's Children series by James Otis reprinted by Living Book Press. This marvelous historical fiction is a fantastic addition to any private lending library. The series is written at an upper intermediate level and would delight the same readers who love books like Childhood of Famous Americans. Our friends at Biblioguides have broken LBP's series into two groupings: James Otis's Colonial Series and James Otis's Pioneer Series. Fans of James Otis will be happy to know there may be more Otis books coming from Living Book Press in the next year!

Sara has these in her catalog, but they are rarely on her shelf, as there is always a waiting list for each volume. Her patrons love Hannah of Kentucky best of all. You can read more about Hannah of Kentucky here.

Librarians may be curious about what Anthony has done to the original text - is it offensive? Was it updated? How do we present it? He has written a beautiful note of explanation that is included in each book:

“This book was written in the early 20th century, a time when societal attitudes and language were significantly different from what we recognize today. As you delve into its pages, you might come across terms and descriptions that our modern sensibilities find offensive or inappropriate. These echo the beliefs and biases of that era, some of which were fueled by ignorance, fear, and misunderstanding.

We’ve chosen to preserve the original text, providing an unvarnished window into the past. It’s essential to approach this reading with an open heart and mind, recognizing the historical context that shaped these terms and views.

While we’ve made progress as a society, the shadows of these old attitudes sometimes persist. By recognizing and reflecting on the profound impact such perspectives have left on our culture, we can deepen our understanding of history and chart a course towards a more inclusive and compassionate future.” A Note to the Reader, Martha of California – Living Book Press Edition

In this section of the newsletter each month, we want to highlight book lists we have found to be particularly good for librarians. This month we would like to draw your attention to a special librarian project that has been happening behind the scenes.

Taken from Sherry Early’s blog, Semicolon:

It was indeed a different era. What was going on in 1924 when these books were being published and read? The 1924 Paris Olympics, Leopold and Loeb murders, the premiere of "Rhapsody in Blue" by Gershwin. Vladimir Lenin died, and Mallory and Irvine disappeared while attempting to summit Mt. Everest. Robert Frost won the Pulitzer Prize for Poetry, and crossword puzzles were all the rage after Simon and Schuster published their first book of crosswords.

As far as children’s literature was concerned, the field of books written especially for children was just coming into its own. The Horn Book Magazine, the oldest bimonthly magazine dedicated to reviewing children’s literature, was founded in Boston in 1924. The Newbery Medal for “the most distinguished contribution to American literature for children” was only a couple of years old. The medal-winning book for 1925 (published in 1924) was Tales from Silver Lands, a book of Central and South American folktales, collected and recorded by Charles Finger. Two other 1924 books were “runners-up” for the Newbery: The Dream Coach by Anne Parish and Nicholas: A Manhattan Christmas Story by New York Public Library’s head children’s librarian, Anne Carroll Moore.

Unfortunately, all three Newbery-honored books from 1924 seem to me to be not horrible, but forgettable. The South American folktales are perhaps of interest to scholars and storytellers, but I doubt the average child would glom onto them. The other two books are more the sort of books that adults think children should like than they are the kind of story that children do enjoy.

A reading team comprised of librarians and excellent readers made it a goal to read as many of the books published in English in 1924 as possible and record their thoughts as they went. Sherry and our book friend Terri Shown joined Sara and Diane on the podcast to discuss the project and what we learned. You can find out a lot more about the books themselves, here. And you can listen to the podcast, here.

In January we announced that the Plumfield Moms are creating custom book club guides perfect for librarians (and others) to use in their libraries. Each PDF guide comes with 25-35 pages of resources, questions, background information, invitations and book marks, participant journals, and more. Think of it as a book club in a box. All you have to do is print and host!

Because you are a subscriber to Shelf Notes, you can download The Princess and the Goblin for free! Just email Plumfield and let them know you would like to have The Princess and the Goblin Book Club Guide (plumfieldandpaideia@gmail.com). If you would like to see more of the guides, go to the guide page, here. You can hear the story behind these new book club guides on the Plumfield Moms State of the Podcast episode, here.

Teen readers everywhere are smitten with Jennifer Nielsen historical fiction and fantasy books. While we at Plumfield do not love all of her books, we were impressed with her historical fiction novel, Words on Fire, about the book banning in Lithuania during the Russian occupation.

In the late 1800’s, the Russian Cossacks occupied Lithuania and outlawed the Lithuanian language. Teenaged Audra’s parents were book smugglers who, in an effort to protect their daughter, never taught her to read. One night, however, the Russian soldiers came for Audra’s family. Her parents were arrested, but she escaped with her father’s satchel and a bundle that her mother begged her to deliver to an old woman in another village. The soldiers pursued Audra for days. The intrepid girl knew the woods better than the soldiers did, and she cautiously sneaked her way into the old book-smuggling underground network.

This guide has over 25 pages of everything you will need to host a memorable book club from invitations and reading journals to enrichment suggestions and no-fail book club conversation starters and questions in one digital download. To help you enter into the story: we have a book review posted here. Our good friends at Biblioguides have generously agreed to host the purchase portal for this guide, click here to purchase. Find more guides by clicking here.

Is your library registered at the Private Lending Library Directory hosted by Biblioguides?

If not, is now a good time to add your library to the directory? It is free and easy and getting lots and lots of traction! Even if you aren't ready to lend yet, go ahead and register yourself and just note that you are still in development. It is so encouraging to be a part of that community! Just go to the Biblioguides Private Lending Libraries directory, and click on the "Add your library" link near the top of the page. It's always free and always editable by you at any time.

If yes, do you need to do any updating? The directory is a year old! It is a good time to go and see if your listing needs any updating. To update your library directory entry:

1. Sign in to Biblioguides. Use the "forgot password" link if you've forgotten your password.
2. Go to biblioguides.com/libraries (the Private Lending Libraries page) and find your library.
3. Click "Update Information" and type in the new information pertaining to your library. Easy peasy!

Summertime, and the living is easy! What a great time to introduce children to good books and potential patrons to your library. Many private lending libraries and librarians glide through the summer, taking it easy. And that's a perfectly valid choice for some librarians and their patrons. Others close completely for renovations or reorganization or just a summer vacation. And of course, we affirm and support those libraries, too! However, some libraries are providing great services, and lots of books, during the summer. Here are a few of those summer projects and programs, just for your encouragement and inspiration:

Living Learning Libraries in Florida (Michelle Howard, Librarian) is running a Summer Special Membership for new library memberships so that those who are interested can try out the library over the summer and see for themselves its "power to provide deep, life-changing input to young hearts and minds." The library is also holding a weekly "Hero Hour" in May and June, highlighting American historical heroes, and a Teen Book Club later in the summer.

Families United Lending Library in Summit County, OH and Naglak Family Biblioteca in Maryland Heights, MO (Carrie Naglak, Librarian) are both newly open and lending books. Congratulations and Happy Booking!

Children's Legacy Library (Robin Pack, Librarian) is hosting a special seminar, Breathe Life Into Your Learning with Living Books, on May 16th (tomorrow) in the library. Attendees will learn more about living books and "leave equipped with the knowledge of how to offer children the best books available."

Meriadoc Homeschool Library, in Houston, TX (Sherry Early, Librarian) is promoting a summer reading challenge that's all about picture books! Participants will read 23, 46, or 92 picture books over the course of the summer and receive bronze, silver, or gold medal stickers on a certificate for the library's Picture Book Olympics.

Matthews Christian Library in North Carolina (Tiffany Slack, Librarian) will be hosting a Summer Reading Program Kick-off Event on Saturday, June 1st. Bandersnatch Books, a local publisher, will be on-site, and the library's summer book clubs and reading program will be announced.

Cornerstone Living Library in Georgia (Ashley Borrego, Librarian) will also offer a summer reading program every Friday, starting May 31st. Each Friday library program, with different themes such as gardening and dance, is free and open to the public. And Cornerstone is offering a $10 summer membership for families that want to try out the library for the summer with an option to renew in the fall.

First Baptist Church Library, Wichita Falls, TX (Nancy Uriniak, Librarian) has a reading club every summer for children Ages 3 – Grade 6. Children receive stickers for every book read and prizes are given to all participants.

And finally, at least two of our Private Lending Libraries are embarked upon projects of reshuffling and remodeling, painting and flooring, and general chaos-to-order projects. Keep Hall's Living Library in Georgia (Sandy Hall, Librarian) and Plumfield Living Books Library in Wisconsin (Sara Masarik, Librarian) in your thoughts and prayers as they "upheave" and reconstitute their libraries to better serve patrons.

Do you have library news to share with Shelf Notes readers? We at The Card Catalog hope you are enjoying the resources we have provided there, and we also aspire to make our monthly newsletter, Shelf Notes, a valuable source for news and encouragement to the private lending library community. if your library story is not already published on our Librarian Notices page at The Card Catalog, we would love to talk to you about adding your story there. Please email us at thecardcataloglibarians@gmail.com to submit your library story to Librarian Notices.

Also we really enjoy hearing about what’s going on in your library and sometimes publishing that information in brief in Shelf Notes. If you have news of events or new endeavors in your library, please share with us by email at thecardcataloglibrarians@gmail.com. Thank you for all you are doing to connect children and families with good, life-giving books. Keep on doing what you are doing, and we pray for God’s blessing on all our work.